Nicholas R. Casewell

2025 United Kingdom Award Finalist — Faculty

Current Position:
Professor of Tropical Disease Biology and Director of the Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions

Institution:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Discipline:
Biomedical Engineering & Biotechnology

Recognized for: Using molecular and biochemical approaches to understand variations in snake venom toxins and identify new treatment strategies for snakebite, a neglected tropical disease.

Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
Venom, toxinology, therapeutics, snakebite, tropical disease

Previous Positions:

BSc, The University of Liverpool
PhD, Bangor University, (Advisor: Wolfgang Wüster)
Postdoctoral Researcher, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine & MicroPharm Ltd, (Advisor: Robert Harrison)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Bangor University
Career Track Lecturer, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Wellcome Trust and Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Senior Lecturer, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Interim Head of Department of Tropical Disease Biology, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Research Summary: 

Tropical snakebite is a neglected disease that disproportionately affects rural, impoverished populations. Toxinologist Nicholas R. Casewell, PhD, is taking a multi-prong approach to increase our biological understanding of snake venom, advance clinical treatments for snakebite, and influence global policy. Using molecular, protein, and biochemical approaches, Casewell performed the first comparative analyses to understand snake venom variation and rationally generate broadly effective snakebite therapies. In public health and policy, Casewell has shown that repurposed oral drugs may reduce the immediate severity of snakebite and has established global partnerships to undertake clinical trials and promote broader access to antivenom, aligning science with social impact.

“Snakebite is all too often a life-changing event for people living in the world’s tropics. Our research seeks to overcome the highly diverse and variable nature of snake venoms, so that we can develop broadly effective, affordable, and life-saving therapies for this neglected tropical disease.”

Key Publications:

K.E. Bartlett, S.R. Hall, S.A. Rasmussen, E. Crittenden, C.A. Dawson, L-O. Albulescu, W. Laprade, R.A. Harrison, A.J. Saviola, C.M. Modahl, T.P. Jenkins, M.C. Wilkinson, J.M. Gutiérrez, N.R. Casewell. Dermonecrosis caused by a spitting cobra snakebite results from toxin potentiation and is prevented by the repurposed drug varespladib. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2024.
T.D. Kazandjian, D. Petras, S.D. Robinson, J. van Thiel, H.W. Greene, K. Arbuckle, A. Barlow, D.A. Carter, R.M. Wouters, G. Whiteley, S.C. Wagstaff, A.S. Arias, L-O. Albulescu, A. Plettenberg Laing, C. Hall, A. Heap, S. Penrhyn-Lowe, C.V. McCabe, S. Ainsworth, R.R. da Silva, P.C. Dorrestein, M.K. Richardson, J.M. Gutiérrez, J.J. Calvete, R.A. Harrison, I. Vetter, E.A.B. Undheim, W. Wüster, N.R. Casewell. Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras. Science. 2021.
L-O. Albulescu, C. Xie, S. Ainsworth, J. Alsolaiss, E. Crittenden, C.A. Dawson, R. Softley, K.E. Bartlett, R.A. Harrison, J. Kool, N.R. Casewell. A therapeutic combination of two small molecule toxin inhibitors provides broad preclinical efficacy against viper snakebite. Nature Communications. 2020.
L-O. Albulescu, M. Hale, S. Ainsworth, J. Alsolaiss, E. Crittenden, J.J. Calvete, M.C. Wilkinson, R.A. Harrison, J. Kool, N.R. Casewell. Preclinical validation of a repurposed metal chelator as a community-based therapeutic for hemotoxic snakebite. Science Translational Medicine. 2020.

Other Honors:

2024 Principal Investigator, Research Grant, Medical Research Council
2024 Principal Investigator, Clinical Trial Grant, Open Philanthropy
2022 Principal Investigator, Research Grant, Leverhulme Trust
2021 Principal Investigator, Research Grant, Wellcome Trust
2021 Committee member of the UK Health Security Agency Expert Group on Antivenoms
2019 Young Investigator Award, Toxins journal
2018 Principal Investigator, Research Grant, Medical Research Council
2018 Member of the Executive Committee and Secretary of the European Section of the International Society on Toxinology
2016 Sir Henry Dale Research Fellowship, Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society
2012 NERC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, Natural Environment Research Council

In the Media:

BBC News – The teams tackling snakebites in Kenya

Nature – Next-generation snakebite therapies could reduce death toll

Natural History Museum – In pursuit of a universal antivenom for snakebite

New Scientist – Milking time at the den of deadly snakes

BBC One Victoria Derbyshire show – Just how potent is snake venom?

Natural History Museum – Secrets of the spitting cobra

BBC News World Service – The snakebite squad

The Telegraph - How a common blood thinner can protect against spitting cobras

BBC Radio 4 The curious cases of Rutherford & Fry podcast – Venoms, poisons and toxins: nature’s arsenal

BBC Radio 5live – How antivenoms are made

Science Vs podcast – Snakes!!!